1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of self-defense weapons. Specifically the invention is a folding metal bar which can be used as a blocking device, a rigid impact weapon, or a flailing impact weapon. The invention incorporates a handle designed to prevent an attacker from disarming the weapon's user, a safety chain to protect bystanders in the event the weapon breaks, and a means for disguising the weapon as something else. It combines the versatility of an advanced flailing weapon, while retaining the simplicity and ease of use of a rigid stick.
2. Description of the Related Art
Impact weapons are among the oldest and most widely used self-defense weapons known to man. Despite their age and widespread use, they continue to be improved on a regular basis even today.
Nearly every culture which practiced any martial art developed systems which use a stick of varying length, ranging from the six inch long Japanese yawara to the immensely popular six foot long staff. Obviously, the longer staff was preferred for fighting when it was practical to carry it, and when there was sufficient space to use it. Shorter sticks are obviously easier to carry and easier to use in confined spaces, but the shorter range exposes the user to greater danger from an opponent's weapon.
To improve on the shortcomings of the simple straight stick, people developed various flailing weapons. Examples include the Okinawan nunchaku, which uses two short sticks connected by a rope, and the Okinawan tonfa, which uses a short handle attached to one end of the long striking arm, perpendicular to the striking arm, and which is used by spinning the tonfa in the hand during a strike. In addition to increasing the power of a strike through the use of an extra pivot point, some of these weapons also increased the range of the weapon without increasing bulkiness. For example, a 12" nunchaku with a 3" cord can be carried as a compact 12" package, but gives a 27" range while in use. However, these weapons were more difficult to use, and posed a danger to the user if used improperly. There are recorded examples of criminals threatening police officers with nunchakus, and then only succeeding in hurting themselves. Today, the nunchaku is generally only taught to black belts in the martial arts who have first studied other weapons.
In addition to their fighting advantages, all of the aforementioned defensive weapons had the advantage of appearing to be an innocent everyday object rather than a weapon. People have frequently found it advantageous to be able to carry their weapons discreetly, either to surprise an attacker, or to avoid the appearance of belligerence when out in public. The staff could be a walking stick, the tonfa was the handle of a grinding stone, and the nunchaku could be a grain flail, horse's bit, or children's toy. Even today, the popularity of devices such as the KUBOTAN keychain is due primarily to their innocent appearance.
Telescoping weapons were invented as another way to overcome the dilemma of range verses burdensomeness. One of the first patented is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,909,932, issued to Digel, which discloses a bludgeon using a flexible spring with a weight con one end, and which could be collapsed into a handle. More modern examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,072, issued to Parsons, which discloses a telescoping metal rod which forms part of a keychain, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,800, issued to Parsons et al., which discloses an improved retainer clip for holding the '072 keychain in its collapsed position when not in use as a weapon. U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,774, issued to Holy, discloses a collapsible and recombinable martial arts weapon. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,960, issued to Bickerton, discloses a side handle baton wherein the side handle folds into the main striking arm, and which has a telescopically extendable second handle. The Holy and Bickerton inventions fail to address the needs of defensive weapon users because their inventions are slow to convert from one configuration to another, preventing the user from reacting to a rapidly changing situation.
Jack M. Sabat disclosed a nunchaku in which the two sticks could be secured together to form a single nightstick with a length equal to the combined length of both sticks in U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,408. This device, however, requires some time to convert the weapon from a flailing weapon to a rigid weapon, so the user must know well in advance of being attacked which configuration will be desirable.
David J. Smith disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,551 a nunchaku wherein one of the sticks is hollow, and the other stick can be inserted into the hollow section for storage or use as a nightstick. Smith's invention uses a detent means placed in the handles to lock the handles into position, enabling quick conversion from one mode of operation to another. The weapon does, of course, require the same advanced training as a conventional nunchaku.
Other patents related to the field of defensive impact weapons include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,877 issued to White for a nunchaku incorporating both rigid and flexible materials in different portions of the sticks; U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,377 issued to Roberts, disclosing a baton which includes a flashlight, an aerosol chemical irritant, and an alarm; U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,468, which discloses a nunchaku made from high density polypropylene, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,667 issued to Lezdey, disclosing a martial arts training device; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,796 issued to Carlson, disclosing a jousting apparatus.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a self defense weapon solving the aforementioned problems is desired.